Improvement in annealing car-wheels



A. L. MowRY.

Annealling` .Car Wheels. No.V 32,252. Patented May 7, 1861.

Wz'zaess es n f Iw/yenar' PATENT OFFICE..

A. L. MOWRY, OF OINOINN ATI, OI-IIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN ANNEALING CAR-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 32,252, dated May 7,1861.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, A. L. MOWRY, of the city of Cincinnati, in thecounty of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and ImprovedMode of Annealing Car Wheels; and I hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon, whichform part of this specification.

Myinvention consists in the use of charcoal or other equivalentsubstance interlaid with the wheels in the annealing-pits, in connectionwith the regulated admission of air, for the purpose of heating thewheels up to a proper temperature, prolonging the heat, and permittingthem to cool in the course of a given time gradually, as will be moreparticularly explained below.

In order that others duly skilled may be enabled to understand andconstruct and use my invention, I shall proceed to describe it indetail.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of twoannealing-pits and the necessary fines. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionthrough the same.

Like letters of :reference designate like parts in all the drawings.

A A are two annealingpits, which may be constructed of double metalshells a a, with concrete or other refractory material, b, between, orthey may be merely built of brick.

B is the horizontal flue, communicating with inside of pits by theperforated plates (in bottom of pit) c c..

C is the vertical iiue or chimney-shaft, which communicates withhorizontal flue B, and may be of any convenient height.

D is a cover provided to each pit. In the center of cover is an opening,d, which is closed by a damper, c.

lw w are car-wheels built up in the pits,with charcoal between, and f aperforated cast-iron plate laid on top of the topmost layer of charcoal, so as to distribute the air admitted equably through the fuel inthe pit.

The operation of my invention is as follows: A layer of charcoal havingbeen laid 'on the perforated bottom c of the annealing-pit, the wheelsas they are turned out of the molds red-hot are placed in the pit with alayer of charcoal between each wheel, a layer of charcoal being laid onthe uppermost wheel, and on this a perforated metal plate is laid. Thecharcoal becoming now ignited by the4 hot wheels, the cover of pit isthen laid on and the damper opened so as to admit just sufficient air toeffect the combustion of the contained charcoal in the space ofseventy-two hours, less or more, as may be found necessary for theannealing operation. The draft of air in the apparatus shown on drawingsis from above downward; but it may, without affecting my invention, befrom below upward by conveying the air from the horizontal line upthrough the pits and through the aperture in cover, and from thencethrough dues into the main shaft or chimney C. The result will be thesame in both cases, and the adoption of one or the other plan will bedictated by convenience.

It is well understood that chilled carwheels require to be cooled by aprocess which will permit the different parts to adjust themselves toeach other and accommodate the unequal contraction which results fromthemprocess of chilling. For this purpose the wheels while still hot aresometimes placed in pits and covered with dry sand, which causes them toretain their heat for a considerable time, and in slowly cooling theadjustment above referred to takes place. In other cases the wheels areplaced in pits, where they are heated by a furnace and maintained at ahigh heat for several days. In other cases they are placed in pits and acurrent of air is caused to pass through the center eye of thewheel,which cools the hub more rapidly than the rim is cooled, thusreversing the process which takes place when the wheel is rst cast in amold with a chill surrounding the rim.

All of these devices and others which it is not necessary to specify areattended with difficulties and with imperfections which it is the designof my invention to obviate. In the operation of my invention it is foundthat the wheels when removed from the annealing-pit are devoid of anystrain from unequal contraction, and that they afford as much apparentresistance to fracture as if they had been cast in an ordinary sand moldwithout the use of a chill.

I do not claim as my invention, or any part thereof, the pits, ilues, orcurrents of air for same, so as to prolong the combustion 0f thethepurpose herein described; but fuel and retain the heat, for thepurpose herein What I claim as new7 and desire to vsecure described. byLetters Patent, is

The employment of charcoal or other equiva v A' L MOWRY' lentcombustible substance interlaid between Witnesses: the wheels in apit,incombination with an aper- THos. M. WITHENBIER,

ture, d, for regulating the supply of air to the WM. GLOUG H.

